Student apartment complex with over 800 beds to lead Bloomington plan commission meeting

This architect’s rendering shows the student-housing megaplex Collegiate Development Group wants to build at 1800 N. Walnut St., where a Motel 6 currently stands. It could have as many as 820 bedrooms across 270 fully furnished units. (Dwell Design Studio / Courtesy image)

This architect’s rendering shows David Howard’s proposed three-story project at 1301 S. Walnut St. It would have nine, one-bedroom apartments and commercial space on the ground floor. (Brothers Three LLC / Courtesy image)

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A six-story student apartment complex
with more than 800 bedrooms could be built on Bloomington’s north side
if the city’s plan commission decides to keep Collegiate Development
Group’s petition moving.

Missouri-based
CDG Acquisitions wants to transform the 3.85-acre Motel 6 at 1800 N.
Walnut St. into a student housing megaplex that would be even larger
than the 746-bed Evolve apartment complex approved by the city in 2016.

The
new project to be heard at Monday’s city plan commission hearing could
have as many as 820 bedrooms across 270 fully furnished units, including
studio, one-bed, two-bed and four-bed apartments. The project is the
largest of several to be discussed at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers
of City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.

Current
zoning for the property allows 15 units per acre — the densest
development allowed in the city outside of the downtown. That means the
petitioner will need the city’s permission to create a planned unit
development that would allow a proposed 77 units per acre.

If
approved, those hundreds of apartments would be spread across two
buildings, ranging in height from five to six stories. Plans for a
410-space parking garage on the site means only half of the proposed
number of bedrooms would have a place to park a car. Though city code
only requires a project that size to have 136 bicycle spaces, city staff
is recommending the petitioner provide one bicycle parking space for
every four bedrooms. In total, that would require Collegiate Development
Group to construct 205 bicycle parking spots.